Janice and Brian Schmidt

Brian and Janice fell in love after a chance encounter at Mill Creek Winery. As a good friend of winery owner Bill Kreck, Brian visited frequently. One day he saw a new face on the summer bottling line. Brian quickly asked Janice if she would go on a date in his little Porsche and they never looked back. Celebrating their 36th anniversary this year, they remain committed to each other and their dreams for the family ranch and vineyards.

FIFTH GENERATION

Brian Lee Schmidt

Brian Schmidt was born in Healdsburg and grew up on the family ranch with his sisters, Diane and Kay. Helping farm and pick prunes, showing sheep in the annual Healdsburg Future Farmers Fair and helping to transition the ranch to vineyards gave Brian a hands on appreciation for the family farm.

As the fifth generation living and growing up on this property, he felt his job was to help preserve the property for the next generation as his parents had done. He continues to farm the property utilizing the techniques he learned at Cal Poly, the wisdom he gained from his father and grandfather, blended with the technological improvements of today.

As a founding member of WineGrowers of the Dry Creek Valley, Brian is focused on promoting the region’s award winning grapes. You’ll often see him during the annual Passport event as he facilitates the positive experience that thousands of wine lovers enjoy each April!

Janice Osborne Schmidt

Brian’s wife, Janice Osborne Schmidt had a keen appreciation for animals and country life from childhood. Whether focused on horses or goats, zucchini or pumpkins, she loved the outdoors and growing things.

While growing up in Santa Rosa, she joined 4H and spent time raising chickens, training dogs, riding horses (dressage and three day events) and growing vegetables.

After graduation, Janice joined Jordan Winery as their Enologist where she worked with their phenomenal winemaker Rob Davis and legendary wine consultant André Tchelistcheff. Janice spent 20 years as their senior Enologist where she learned from the master’s and helped craft the quintessential Cabernet sauvignon from Sonoma County.

Estate 1856 Wines

Did you know that we have our own wine brand, ESTATE 1856 WINES? We have been making our special red wine blends since 2009 and every one of our table wines has won GOLD!

We also have several BEST OF CLASS wines and one special RED SWEEPSTAKES wine from the 2013 Sonoma County Harvest Fair! You can connect with us and buy our wines at WWW.ESTATE1856.COM!

Read about our 2012 Duvall's Prospect, our Bordeaux Blend, crafted from Cabernet Sauvignon, Malbec and Petit Verdot that has won THREE Gold Medals, TWO Double Gold Medals and ONE Platinum Medal!

Explore our two BEST OF CLASS Bordeaux varietals, our 2013 Malbec and our 2013 Petit Verdot. Not only has the 2013 Malbec won Best of Class at the 2015 San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition but it also scored 95 points and a Gold Medal at the 2016 North Coast Wine Challenge and won a Gold Medal at the 2015 Grand Harvest Awards. Our 2013 Petit Verdot won a Gold Medal at the 2015 Sonoma County Harvest Fair, a Double Gold Medal at the 2015 Grand Harvest Awards and the coveted Best of Class at the 2015 San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition!